Love slaughters reason
by Undead violet
Summary: What happens when the cool Soul falls head over heels for a freshman at Shibusen? Read and find out! SoulxMaka
1. A new start for love

My first ever fanfic!! I'm so excited, I can hardly type. This is for my friend Sam who I randomly promised to write a Soul Eater fanfic for. Yes I know everyone's OOC, but...oh nevermind I have no excuse. I wish my siser could reas this, but she hates Soul Eater and she would probably look at the things I wrote about her in my profile.

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Soul Eater...I would completely ruin it! :3

A new day at Shibusen started a new year for many students at Shibusen. Some had been waiting for this day with gleeful anticipation; others did not give a shit. The freshman that were starting this year gathered together in the gym for one of those stupid inspirational talks about how they should try their best. One student in particular didn't want to be there. His name was Soul Eater Evans and he sat in the back, judging the new girls like all hormone-crazy teenage boys did. However, he had a secret; he was the son of one of the richest families in the world who seemed to own stocks in everything. Though a secret is a secret, this one was absolutely not known by anyone besides Soul's family. Which led Soul to believe that his father was involved in some illegal things. Soul lived a comfortable life, so he didn't really care much. Currently he lives alone in a 2-bedroom apartment (which his parents thought necessary, for some reason.)

Truth be told, Soul was not a virgin. He was already 16, but had somehow gotten held back, so when he should have been a sophomore, he was a freshman. Which sucked because he was still forced to go to school that first day and walk through a school he already knew he way around. Of course, his age made him all the more attractive to freshman girls, that and his looks. Soul liked to describe himself as cool; with red eyes that were overshadowed by a black hat that had white, spiky hair sticking out from under it. He dressed normally enough, but a well-trained eye could see his clothes were expensive. Over all, Soul had everything going for him until his homeroom of that second day of class of his second year in high school.

Soul was slouched in the back of the classroom when their peppy teacher told them they had two freshmen joining their "happy group." He sniggered and whispered to Liz (they were friends of a kind,)

'"Happy group?" What the hell does she think this is, kindergarten?"

"Wait'll you see the freshies! I hear one's a nerd and the other's OCD." She replied with a laugh.

While Soul and Liz were having their conversation, two 14-year-olds walked in. One was slightly taller, dressed in a tidy suit with black hair that had 3 horizontal stripes on the left-front part. _What the hell? _Thought Soul, but then his eyes fell on the girl. She had dirty blonde hair drawn into pigtails and her dangerously beautiful green eyes were narrowed into a glare that seemed directed at the world. Her short plaid skirt revealed just enough smooth, white leg that Soul was almost drooling, while her chest was carefully concealed under a baggy black sweater. In a daze, Soul stared at her with his red eyes open in astonishment. He had never found a girl so attractive before. Liz was talking but he didn't hear until Patti's fat head blocked his view.

"Deathe the Kid? What the hell!? Is that a freaking joke? And what's with the baggy swea- "

"Dammit Liz, what's her name?"

Soul growled almost ready to kill her for insulting the girl. Liz just stared at him in surprise. She assessed his lusty gaze and his twisted smirk that just screamed predator with its pointy teeth. A small twinge of sadness ran through her at the sight. She liked Soul and they had dated in their first year of high school, but she would rather be his friend than his fan girl.

"Her name's Maka. I thought you didn't date girls in homeroom." Liz couldn't conceal her distaste, but Soul was so smitten he didn't notice. He tched and said.

"I don't _date, _Liz. Dating's not cool. See ya!" The bell for students to leave homeroom rung and Soul was already hurrying after Maka. He didn't walk as fast as he could have though, because he was busy enjoying the way her skirt swished as she walked. Then he was introducing himself, palms sweaty as if he was nervous. (A/N oh Soul, you're too cool to admit you were nervous. –shakes head in shame-)

"My name's Soul. Soul Evans and I've been chosen to be your guide today." Good, he was smooth, cordial and cool.

She wasn't affected though, and her glare this time was fully directed at him. It gave Soul shivers and he wanted to jump on her and kiss that cold look from her face. Deathe the Kid decided to pop in to the conversation then (if you could call it that) and told Maka he'd see her later. Smirking, Soul watched him turn down a different hallway and tried to throw his arm around Maka's shoulders. She had already ducked away though, and Soul was left to ponder what was under her sweater. It wasn't a wasted venture though, as Soul changed direction and headed towards the principals office. He was going to barter with him until his schedule was exactly like the one in his hand.

Maka thought about the annoying boy with red eyes. He was obviously going to be a bother and though she could take him in a fight, she didn't want to risk being expelled. As long as she was in school and stayed in it, she didn't give a damn about it. Her skirt seemed to elicit more whistles this year than last, which made her wonder about wearing pants. Maka really was sexy, her build was petite and her legs were long, lanky and smooth. The only thing that displeased her was her chest size, she desperately wished it would grow. Her main goal in life was to get so damn appealing that no boy could resist her, and then trample them all and give the damn girls permanent self-esteem issues.

She arrived at her first hour class and saw the damn white haired pervert standing outside. (A/N Maka likes to swear a lot when she gets mad.) He was quite obviously waiting for her so she lurked out of sight until just before class started and then approached him. A small smile crept over her face when she caught his eyes raking down her body as walked up to him and gave him her seductive smile. She almost closed the small gap between their lips. Just as his hands started to move up her skirt, she nailed him in the balls with her knee.

* * *

It was fourth hour before Maka saw Soul again. He had regained his aura of coolness and she effectively ignored his attempts at conversation until the end of the hour. She was taking the last of her notes when the bell rang and when she glanced up; most of the class had already disappeared. Of course when she stood up to leave, Soul was there with a very creepy smile that revealed his pointed teeth. Maka tried to dodge around him, but he grabbed her shoulders and pushed her against the wall, immediately pressing himself against her to prevent her from escaping. She knew his weakness now though so, when she faked kneeing him in the groin, she expected his cringing retreat and was able to bring her leg up in an amazing roundhouse kick that nailed him solidly on the head. Soul collapsed, but he smiled as he pictured that flash of black and purple polka dots he had glimpsed.

Maka practically ran to the lunchroom. That disgusting white haired boy made her want to murder someone. Preferably him. After she went through the line to get her daily ration of slop she looked about for her friends. The lunchroom was huge, and only the distant sound of her idiot friend Black Star yelling about his greatness allowed her to locate them. She began the long trek over to their table and, to her great surprise Soul was trailing along behind her.

"Shouldn't you be knocked out?" She gave him a glare over her shoulder but he just smiled.

"I have a very hard head Maka. You should stick with the groin if you want to hurt me."

Maka huffed and went back to ignoring him. He chattered on about nothing in particular and only when he mentioned her destination did she actually listen.

"Why the hell do you hang out with such freaks?" Soul's voice was angry, probably because he wanted to sit by her to molest her. However he was about to discover Maka's friends was a taboo subject. They were her only joy in life, so she twirled on her heel to face him, a maneuver that caused boys nearby to lean back to see if they could catch a glimpse up her skirt. She paid them no heed and focused her glare on the lazy red eyes in front of her.

"Oh, I _don't know._ Maybe it's because I'm a freak. Maybe it's because none of them are perverted like you. Or maybe it's because I _like_ one of them."

She tossed the last sentence over her shoulder with a malicious smile. Soul felt like he had been slapped. One because she knew he liked her and she knew just what would injure him already. Two because he was jealous over a girl he wasn't intending to fall for. Third because she had a way to make him feel guilty about all his flings with most of the girls around his age. He sat down with Liz, quite shaken at the sudden hole her words had torn in his chest.

Liz and Patti were being quite obnoxious, arguing so loudly they turned heads. _Definitely not cool,_ thought Soul. He did have experience dating girls like Maka, but they had usually come around by this point. So he sat and pondered what to do, his gaze absently tracing the progress of Liz and Patti's food fight. Then he caught sight of a weird looking freshman nerd, and he grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into the hallway.

"Do you know Maka? Green eyes, pigtails, plaid skirt?" Shit, somehow the skirt had slipped out. Ox stared at him with a baffled expression that slowly turned into recognition of his academic rival's name.

"Yeah I know her. Why the hell do you want to know?"

"I need you to find out her likes. And dislikes. And everything else. Please!"

Soul flinched at his own begging, but he would do anything to get Maka and mend the tear in his chest. Ox could see that clearly and he took some time to think before answering. This snowy-haired boy was obviously lusting madly after Maka and he though if maybe they could get together, Maka's grades would drop and then he would be first in their class. So it was that Ox said something he would regret saying later, snickering a little at the trouble it would cause for Maka.

"Well…I heard she doesn't have anywhere to live currently."

Soul gaped at Ox in dumb founded amazement before gathering his wits and thanking him. The second lunch was already starting to trickle in to the lunchroom and he hurried off to 5th hour to get there before Maka and plan out his strategy. He knew he was going insane, but he was starting not to care. All he knew was that Ox's words had started a series of visions in his head of Maka walking around his apartment half-naked. It was too tempting, but he needed to win her over and get her to move in with him. If he could just to get to know her better and show her how kind he could be…Soul decided to give himself until Friday to get her to move in.

Maka left the lunchroom when she saw people walking in. She didn't want to be late for class. Kid immediately hurried to catch up, he had seen her and Soul talking angrily and he wanted to know if she needed his help. He was the principal's son after all.

"Who was that white-haired kid?" He watched closely as her face twisted into a quick scowl before smoothing out again.

"That was Soul."

"Is Soul nice to you?"

"O-of course! I have to get to 5th hour."

"I wish we had more classes together. Maybe we should meet at your locker between classes."

"Uh…sure. Bye!" Maka ran away. She didn't…didn't…need Kid getting mixed up in this. The only one who had helped her when she was getting bullied was Black Star; Kid was too innocent to get missed up in this, too naïve.

Maka arrived at 5th hour right before class started and Soul watched her frown as she took the only seat left that was by him. He knew bits and pieces about this petite girl who rejected him, and he desperately wanted to know more. He zoned out, cataloguing all the things he knew about her until he saw she was taking notes on the lecture. Her face was so cute; he just wanted to jump on her. Again. _Maybe I am a pervert,_ he thought dejectedly. But then 5th hour was over and Maka was gone, not wanting a repeat of the end of 4th hour. Soul caught up though and called her name.

"What the hell do you want Soul?" She was pissed. The retard just couldn't leave her alone.

"I just thought we got off on the wrong. I was a bit horny and perverted this morning and I want another chance. To just be your friend. Please Maka? Oh please say yes, I won't hit on you anymore! Please, please pl-" Soul knew he sounded uncool, he just didn't care. He wanted Maka's forgiveness so bad but it seemed like she wasn't even listening.

"Soul…Fuck off." Soul flinched and just as he thought it couldn't get worse, it did. Kid popped up out of nowhere and butted into their conversation.

"Is this boy bothering you Maka? I could have him _removed_." What the hell?

"Oh no Kid. Soul's not a bother. Not at all." Maka forced a smile, wishing Kid would leave.

Soul was really confused. He obviously was a bother to Maka, so why didn't she tell Kid? Unless…she didn't want her friends help. They arrived at 6th hour, Foods, together with Soul still lost in thought. The teacher assigned them partners because the cooking stations were for two people only. Soul didn't really care though; at least until Maka grabbed his arm and dragged him over to _their_ table. He started panicking, inappropriate thoughts flashing through his head before halting on one. Maka. Wearing an apron. Just an apron. It was too much, he had to go ask the teacher to change partners, but Stein was already teaching.

"Listen, no feeling me up or perverted thoughts. You wanted friendship, prove it. We have to deceive Kid; I don't need his help dealing with you."

Soul was losing his mind. So he used an old trick he had taught himself back when he didn't know how to get rid of his fan girls. He left his mind, completely. The only part he left functioning was the response to commands. At the end of the hour bell, he returned and saw that all they had done was cut up a chicken for tomorrow. (A/N Ha-ha, Stein still likes to dissect things!) Maka actually gave him a smile though, one that he gladly returned. She pulled him out of class and waved to Kid.

"Come on Soul, we have math next!" Maka felt abnormally happy, but she was too happy to care.

"Ah shit. I hate math. Damn numbers don't make sense." Maka just laughed and Soul smiled. She had a beautiful laugh.

Kid watched the two leave, Maka dragging Soul along, and smiled. Maka had actually laughed; it was her first in a very long time. (A/N actually it was 5 years but Kid hasn't known her that long.) Pulling out his cell phone, he texted Black Star, spreading the good news. Kid thought there was something shifty about the way Soul shifted emotions, but he was too happy to care. Black Star texted him back, saying, _What? How could the amazing Black Star have not been the first to make her laugh? And why couldn't he hear it?!" _Despite what people might think upon seeing that message, Kid knew that Black Star was really happy. They both cared for Maka and any time she was happy, they were.

* * *

Soul was overjoyed. He had pleased Maka, making her so happy that he even dared to invite her to move in. It was risky, but this was too good of a chance to pass up. So with a minute left in the hour, he broached the subject.

"I heard you don't have anywhere to live." Yes he was coming off concerned. That was cool and good.

"W-what? Who told you that? Of course I have somewhere to live." She tried to come off light, but was really panicking. How could he know her secret?

"Well…I just want you to know if you need a home, I have an extra bedroom. Here's my address."

Soul slipped away after that, not wanting to be around when she exploded. He hurried to the grocery store and then to his apartment. There was no reason not to have his house cleaned and his fridge stocked in case she accepted, though judging by her facial expression, she wasn't coming. It still never hurt to be prepared.

Maka stared after Soul, seeing him disappear again and again. He knew. He knew her secret that no one else knew. Quaking violently and feeling as if she was being followed, Maka stumbled out of the classroom. She knew an anxiety attack was coming, and she quickly looked around for a dark space to confine herself in. A janitors closet nearby served well so she crept in closed the door and huddled down on the floor. When it struck, it took her straight back to her first ever anxiety attack.

Wow. It was so long in Word, but now it's...short-ish? Anyway, I apologize again for making them OOC and you'll find out why Maka's so bitchy in the next chapter. Yep, I hope to update in a week ~ maybe? It's hard because my sister only lets me on her computer for a bit, and sometimes I have to do homework instead of typing. Well I guess I should tell you to read and review! So do it! because the nice author told you to! ;D


	2. A life story and reappearance

I AM SO SORRY! IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO TYPE THIS; WE HAD FINALS THIS WEEK AND MY SISTER BARELY LET ME ON HER COMPUTER! T-T Also, I haven't been able to figure out how to view reviews, but I know there are 6, so thank you unknown readers who cared enough to review. I'll keep trying to figure out how to see your reviews! Anyway, Maka's anxiety attack is based solely on the one my sister had a couple of weeks ago, so it might not be what you expect. And um...I apologize again for taking so long to update this! Hopefully I'll be able to do it sooner this week. And one of my friends who read this said the shifting perspectives got a bit confusing, so I labeled the point of views. Or tried too. I don't know, I'm not really good at anything...

**Disclaimer: **I'm way too irresponsible to own anything. Including Soul Eater and hermit crabs. But Ash is mine! My twisted sadistic brainpoop!

**Maka's POV**

"No, no, no, no, no, no! Mommy I don't wanna, don't wanna, wanna…don't make me Mommy! Take me with you! Please, please, please, please…please…Mommy don't leave!"

"Shh. It's going to be okay Maka. I'm only leaving you with him for a year. Then I'll be back for you." Mrs. Albarn wiped her daughters tears away, watching her hiccup with concern. She knew this was an anxiety attack, and as soon as she was gone it would be better. Turning to Spirit, her husband she spoke, her hands still soothing the poor little girl.

"Spirit, take care of her. I need you to be mature for once and think of her instead of yourself. Be responsible and stop chasing after every woman you meet." She turned to go, but Maka flung herself around her ankles, sobbing even harder.

"Mommmmyy! Don't leave, don't leave, don't leave!! I don't wanna daddy! No daddy, please! Please, please, please…please…pleeeaaasseee! I wanna Mommy please!" Maka was screaming now, so Mrs. Albarn knelt down and gave her one last hug.

"You can be strong for a year, can't you girl? I thought Mommy raised you to be strong. I'll see you in a year." She set her only child down and hurried off, ignoring the piercing cries behind her. She knew Spirit could take care of her little girl, she knew he could be responsible if he chose.

That was Maka's first ever anxiety attack. It happened in 2nd grade, when her mother had to go on a business trip she couldn't bring Maka on. So she dumped her daughter on her worthless husband, and 2 years later, said worthless husband got a letter from the company she had worked for. Mrs. Albarn was dead, and they gave their most sincere condolences to the family she had left behind. She had died a year ago, and Spirit immediately started drinking to forget his dead wife.

Maka didn't have alcohol to relieve herself. She could only collapse in sorrow, shutting down, shutting everyone out of her life. Whatever people told her to do, she did, and her only act of rebellion against the cruel world that had taken her mother away was to start dressing like a boy. Her mother had used to always fawn over the cute dresses she found for Maka, and now that she was dead Maka never wanted to see a dress again. Of course this brought up a few problems. It was the beginning of the teasing that would continue for years. It started out very light, a couple insults that could be brushed off.

Through the first three years of her torture, Spirit ignored her. He was steeped in beer every day and when she tried to talk to him he brushed her off. During one of his sober moments, he brought her to the grocery store and then ditched her to meet another woman who batted her eyelashes at him. A 9 year old Maka was left wit no money and a full cart. When she tried to leave a loud alarm sounded; so she ran, leaving the cart behind with tears streaming down her face. From that moment on, she hated her father. At the start of her first year in junior high school, she moved out altogether. He didn't even notice.

Then, in 5th grade, it became physical; hits, punches, kicks, scratches. Every day she would brutally get beat up, and no one noticed. Not even when she came to school with two black eyes. She became a shadow that people stepped on with no second thought. In sixth grade, the final straw came. A boy she absolutely despised broke her left arm.

After that incident, the bullying slacked off. Maka, however, had found her fighting spirit. Every fight she would get in a punch or two, then 3, 4, 5 until she could take down one of the boys in a fight. The girls fought verbal wars with Maka, calling her a "nerd", "tiny tits", and "transvestite." It hurt more than the punches and shoves, and Maka found herself forgetting her mother's face bit by bit. The only way she could remember it was to look in a mirror, but she didn't own one so the memories of her family faded in oblivion.

Finally, when the bullying got extreme, Maka began to contemplate suicide. She had nothing left to live for, no purpose and due to her classmates, no hope. Around this time, Deathe the Kid transferred to their school. At first he didn't talk much, but he began showing up at her bench in the park. They never talked, but somehow they formed a bond anyway. At the end of Maka's second junior high year, he gave her a cell phone, preprogrammed with his number and told her he was there if she needed anything.

Kid was a guiding beacon in Maka's life. Without him, she would most likely be burning in hell. He turned her from the spiral of depression and onto the path of revenge. This was a slight improvement, however it sparked Maka's hatred for everything. Her hair, her small chest, her stupid dad and all the preps in the world (even the "nice" ones.) Somehow these thoughts of hatred calmed Maka down, and her anxiety attack ebbed away.

Eventually, her mind returned to the start of her anxiety attack. It would be nice to sleep in a real bed again, even if it was in an apartment with a pervert. Though he was trying to be nice, and he didn't attack her since 4th hour. Maka kept thinking about it and finally her mind lit on a brilliant reason for her to move in (it's actually an excuse, she just won't admit it.) She would be close to him, able to torture him with pranks and taunts. She would be able to punish him for being so alike to those who had bullied her. Smiling at her wonderful idea Maka stood up, stretching her legs and arms before trying to open the door. It was locked.

"Poor Maka locked in a closet

Crying because she is trapped

Got scolded and yelled at

And knuckles rapped

Because she was late to class"

The voice was faint and one Maka clearly recognized. It was her arch nemesis, Ash. He was the ringleader of the bullies back in the day but he was supposed to be in California. None of this really registered in her mind however, because the moment she heard his voice, she turned primal. Maka flew at the door, clawing, kicking and throwing her body against it in a vain attempt to get out and to the person she so despised. His laughter faded away though, and Maka was left quivering in the dark, hot blood still coursing through her veins. Then she calmed down and sank to the floor, pulling off her sweater to use as a makeshift pillow. She was crying again, and she desperately clung to Soul's address, wishing he would save her…

**Soul's POV**

Soul was a wreck Wednesday morning. Emotionally that is. Physically he was immaculate as always. His apartment was spotless, his fridge full, but Maka had never shown up yesterday. Filled with dread at seeing her in homeroom, he dragged his feet to school, wishing he could play hooky. But that wouldn't be cool; at least Maka wouldn't think it was cool. So he sat down and stared at the door, watching as the other kids came in and then finally Kid showed up. He glanced around the classroom, and when he didn't find Maka his eyes turned to meet Soul's. They were angry and Soul leaned back a bit in apprehension as Kid approached him and smacked the table with his hands.

"What'd you do with Maka, sicko?" Kid's hands tightened into fists and he looked ready to lash out.

"Nothing. You're her friend, aren't you? Why're you asking me then?" Soul didn't like Kid, especially when he made an uncool scene.

"Like hell I am! But I saw the way you looked at her! Like she was a piece of meat! You did something to her, didn't you?"

"What's the big deal? She's probably just late." Kid looked away, eyes still smoldering with anger, but there was a sad edge to them now.

"She's never missed class. Never. Not even when she broke her arm." Soul's eyes widened and then he was pulling Kid out of the classroom, ignoring his protests.

"You're the principals son right? You can skip class and I don't give a shit so let's look for her." Kid just kept resisting and pointed out some very logical points.

"We don't know where the hell to look. She could be anywhere Soul!"

Soul turned and gold eyes met red. They had a mental struggle, both fighting for dominance and power, but Soul broke away. He didn't have time to glare at Kid, he had to find Maka.

"I'll search anywhere if that's what it takes Kid."

He turned and strode away letting his instinct guide him and checking all the closets he passed. Soul felt as if she was still in school, but he found no trace of her. Panic was interrupting his thought process and he found himself checking the same place twice. He needed to fin her, needed to see her beautiful green eyes sparkling with laughter and snapping with anger again. When the bell to end first hour rang, he walked to 2nd hour hoping she would be there.

She wasn't. Nor was she in 3rd or 4th hour. When he got to lunch, he walked straight up to Maka's table and sat down. He didn't care about the damn stares people were giving him, his mind was a frenzy of where's Maka and the like. Some part of it did observe his tablemates; the infamous Black Star that everyone knew because he ran around yelling about his greatness. Then there was Kid, explaining about Maka's disappearance and finally a brunette with hair that flowed down to her waist and had 2 short locks to frame her face. Her body was nice enough, but Soul only had eyes for Maka. Which brought him back to his current predicament.

"We need to find Maka, dammit!"

"O-of course! I agree!"

"The amazing Black Star will accept any challenge!"

Kid just glowered at Soul and then his eyes dilated with surprise. There was someone behind Soul and when he looked, he felt his eyes enlarge in surprise too. It was Ash, his old pal that moved to California at the end of his last junior high year. He looked just as Soul remembered him, bright gray eyes and very blond hair that was styled perfectly. He was wearing khaki pants and a red shirt and Soul grinned as his mind latched onto a thought. _Ash will help me find Maka._

"You!" Soul and Kid spoke simultaneously; one angry, one happy.

"Yes, me! I came back to make sure you didn't get all the babes. Oh hellloo gorgeous. May I inquire how you are called?"

**Kid's POV**

Kid was utterly flabbergasted. It was Ash. The name that had been given to him infinite times to explain Maka's various cuts and bruises. And he was hitting on Tsuabaki? What the hell was wrong with him? And Soul was friends with him. Kid was so confused but then he made a connection. Ash; back, Maka; vanished. Coincidence? Maybe but Kid lunged across the table anyway to grab Ash's collar and shake him, bellowing into his face.

"What the hell did you do with Maka?!?!"

"Hey if it isn't Deathe the Kid. How've you been?" Ash just smirked at Kid.

" Dammit! You beat her up last year! What's you fucking do with her?"

Kid was yelling incoherently now and continued until Soul tore his hand from Ash and dragged them into the hallway. He was sat against one wall and Ash against the other. Then Soul spoke, his voice flat and menacing.

"Explain."

"Are you fucking joking Soul? Do you know what Ash's done to Maka in the past? Just let me kill him please! Let me wring his damn unsymmetrical neck!"

"What's this about beating Maka up?" Soul's voice was hard now, almost angry and Kid grinned at Ash smugly.

" I'd never harm a fly! Soul, you know me. Would I beat someone up?"

"You filthy liar! You damn little devil! You piece of cow shit! You fucking asshole! You-" Soul slapped Kid and muttered shut up before looking at Ash. Kid was incited further by the slap however, and he found himself vertical before e knew what he was doing. Soul tried to black his path to Ash, but he just punched his gut and left Soul crouched on the ground, winded. Then he dragged Ash off to a classroom, unsure of what he was going to do.

"Have you seen Maka since you moved back?"

"Yes."

"Where and when? And don't try lying to me."

"I saw her in seventh hour yesterday. She looked pretty upset. Do you know why? It's because she doesn't have a place to live. Soul knows though." Kid dropped Ash's arm and stared blankly at him. They were in an empty classroom and Kid was interrogating Ash.

"What?"

"Look I have to get to class. I'll just let you sit here and think, okay?" Ash left leaving Kid alone with his thoughts. They were wild, random, and unpredictable. He was so confused; Soul knew Maka didn't have a home. And why didn't Maka tell him before? Kid sat despondently at the teacher's desk and slowly let his eyes drift shut.

* * *

Heheh...Short and sweet. And now you know why Maka is the way she is. Ash is also completely random, spur of the moment creation. I don't know where he came from, but his motives will be explained in due time. Hope you will review this!


	3. A mystery

Chapter three has arrived! I'm pretty sure there's nothing confusing in this chapter unlike the last one, so enjoy it thoroughly! Oh and I apologize in advance for the cliff hanger, but I have to have something to keep you guys and girls reading, right?

**Disclaimer: **I own Soul Eater! But only in my dreams...sadly...

* * *

Soul was in cooking when Ash reappeared. Without Kid. Soul was a bit worried, but there were so many reasonable explanations that didn't involve Kid being in trouble, so Soul shoved it to the back of his mind and concentrated on chopping carrots. Today, they were preparing the flavoring for their chicken and tomorrow they would be able to cook it. Of course because of Maka and Kid absence, Stein assigned Soul to some loser girl who kept trying to flirt with him. He found it rather annoying, but if Kid had dealt with it yesterday, Soul could deal with it for one day. At least he hoped it was one day; Stein had marked something down in the partner charts after they had switched.

Soul returned to his task and began cutting green peppers and then onions. His knife flashed quickly, much faster than Ash's who was working in a partnering of three. This made Soul smirk and despite his troubling thoughts about Maka, he began to enjoy the friendly competition Ash had always offered him. Truthfully Soul had missed Ash; they were close friends despite going to different schools until now. Every weekend when they were little they would spend at either of their houses. Going for walks, playing video games, and all the other mischief little boys get into.

Class was soon over and Soul grinned proudly at his mass of chopped vegetables before looking at Ash's. His eyes went wide. Ash had an enormous mound of vegetables in front of him, enough for 2 partner groups. This immediately put Soul in a bad mood, though he would never show it. That would be admitting Ash had won their undeclared competition and losing was definitely not cool. Soul turned back to his own pile, and carefully scraped it off the cutting board and into containers that would keep them until tomorrow. He could feel Ash standing behind him, but Soul ignored him all the way to math. Then he realized Ash was still behind him and he turned around.

"Are you lost Ash?" Soul's smile was forced; his mood hadn't improved much.

"Nope! We have math together buddy!" Ash smiled largely and pushed past Soul into their classroom.

Soul was frozen; it felt like Ash was intruding on his memories of Maka. Her smiles yesterday, her cute face, her musical voice and her beautiful eyes. Green eyes that Soul could stare into forever; regardless of whether she was mad or happy. The bell rang, but Soul just stood outside staring blissfully into space.

Eventually he realized class had started, but he didn't feel like going in. Ash always whispered comments about girls; which would really annoy him because his heart was only for Maka. Soul felt himself droop as he remembered the fact that she was missing. Without really thinking, Soul headed down a random hallway and daydreamed about Maka; checking in closets every once and awhile. He soon grew bored of this and stepped in the next closet he saw, hiding from the teachers who randomly patrolled the hallways to make sure all the students were in class. (Oooh creepy! I would hate that.)

In the darkness, Soul felt around for somewhere comfortable to sit. His hands found a squishy piece of clothing and he gratefully sat down, still occupied with thoughts of Maka. Then he bolted up and stumbled out into the lit hallway before turning to look in the closet. Sure enough, it was a black sweater just like Makas and on the floor beside it was a scrap of paper. He picked it and the sweater up, carefully unfolding the crinkled scrap. It was his address that he had written down for her yesterday. Soul self a sinking feeling in his stomach and yet he was filled with elation. Maka had been here! However, Maka was not here now. He closed the door and ran to the office of the school; maybe they could do something about this.

Soul was sad again. The principal hadn't been able to do anything after all; there were no security tapes for them to check or anything. Nothing. Maka was alone again and Soul felt even more helpless than before. In a sudden surge of anger at the unfairness of it all, he kicked the curb. That only got him a pain in his toe and as he limped onward his mind tried to dig up a similar pain. A pain from years ago that involved Ash. Ash…Toe…Curb…Maka…Soul finally remembered and was startled at what the memory revealed to him.

_It was just another Saturday afternoon and just another picnic with Ash. They were going to a playground that day with a full basket and plenty of ideas for fun. Chattering about what they were going to do, they walked under the bright June sun in wonderful moods. Soul was just a kid, he didn't know enough about the world to be worried. Ash was a bit older than Soul and a lot more mature. In fact he was so mature sometimes Soul found himself wondering why Ash even hung out with him. But the ADHD of a child wiped away that thought as soon as it arrived and so it was that Soul turned to Ash and gave him a dare he would regret._

_"Ashy! I dare you to go pick on one of the kids at the playground!" Soul's smile was open and innocent; he didn't realize how mean it was to pick on people._

_"SURE! YOU GOTTA WATCH ME, KAY?" Ash was always a bit outspoken as a child but Soul didn't mind. After all he was 9 years old too._

_So when they got to the playground, they carefully put the basket down and ran toward the swing set. Soul stubbed his toe against the barrier that kept the sand in and he went sprawling face first at the feet of a little girl. She was tiny and dressed in an adorable little red dress with twin pigtails hanging down from her head. At first she giggled, but when Soul didn't get up, she poked him. He was too embarrassed to raise his head, but then he realized how uncool it must look to be lying in the sand with a girl poking him. He sat up and the girl leapt back, startled._

_She had pretty eyes, but Soul didn't really notice them. He was too busy wiping the sand off his face and watching as Ash claimed the best swing in the park. The handicap one; it was the children's favorite because one could actually be pushed by another child. Even now Ash was sailing through the air with a horde of admiring kids watching and arguing who got the privilege of pushing him. Then his attention shifted back to the girl who was still standing in front of him. He smiled and got up, telling her to wait there before running over to Ash._

_"Ashy! Ashy!!!! Come on let's eat! I'm hungry." Soul was pouting and some of the girls there blushed at the white-haired boy's cute face. He was too young to understand girls and their feelings though, so as Ash leapt off the swing with an ooh from his audience, Soul ran back and grabbed the girl with pigtails._

_"Wanna eat with us? We got good food!" Soul grinned at her, feeling something quivering in his tummy and thinking it was just hungry. He couldn't explain why he asked this girl to eat with them, but he would soon regret it._

_"U-uhm…sure." She smiled shyly and followed Soul as he led her to the basket._

_Ash soon ran up and began pulling out his favorite food. They talked, mostly just Ash because Soul had grown up learning not to talk with one's mouth full and the girl was very shy around someone as boisterous as Ash. Soul tried to smile encouragingly at her, but her eyes were glued to the tabletop in front of her as she ate an apple. Then Soul spotted a tree that was just begging to be climbed. Quickly he scoffed what was left of his lunch and then ran towards it with a shout of joy._

_He grabbed a low branch and swung his little body up and over, straddling the branch. Then he stood and reached for the next branch, jumping a bit to close his small fingers around it. Again and again he reached branches and swung himself up. Finally there were no more branches that could hold his weight, so he surveyed the playground that stretched beneath him. It was beautiful. He could see brothers and sisters and friends playing together; he could see the new kid who had stolen the awesome swing; and he could see Maka and Ash. They were standing, the basket was on the ground and Soul could tell both were very angry. He tried waving to them, but they didn't even glance at him. Then Ash shoved the girl and Soul nearly fell off the branch with surprise._

_Sure enough, once Soul regained his balanced perch on the branch, Ash was picking on the girl. Very severely. She was on the grass and shaking with fear or sobs, Soul couldn't see which. He watched as Ash grabbed the girl by the pigtail and kneed her in the gut. Once he let go, she collapsed again and tried crawling away; but Ash just continued kicking her with a big smile on his face. Soul felt disgusted at his friend's enjoyment of the brutal beating and when he looked down beneath him that bad feeling translated into a sudden fear of heights. Soul began to cry with fear so he tore his eyes away from the ground that was so far below him and focused on the fight again. Ash was gone with the picnic basket, and the girl was lying on the ground not moving at all._

_The sky darkened and the sun chuckled maliciously at Soul's predicament. He was still on the branch and the girl was still lying prostrate on the ground. The stench of his upchucked stomach contents blew in his face again as the wind changed and brought storm clouds in the playground's direction. Soul whimpered and tried for the 30th time to climb back down. His body froze in fear every time he looked down to spot the next branch below though, so Soul stayed where he was and concentrated on the girl again. All of the other kids had left with their mother or fathers but the girl was alone. Soul wished he could go see if she was all right, but then she started to get up. He gasped and clenched the branch tighter, not noticing the bark was scraping his hands._

_She slowly stood up and looked around, before running over to the tree. Soul grinned thinking she was coming to save him, but she ran right on past and into the arms of an approaching woman whom he had failed to notice. Afraid to be stranded any longer he called down to them._

_"Help. I'm stuck in the tree. Please help me!" The woman looked up and her eyes widened. Clearly she was surprised to find a boy in a tree when a storm was approaching._

_"Hold on there deary, I'll get you down." Detaching the girl from her jeans, the woman began to scale the tree; moving from branch to branch fluidly. When she reached Soul she gave him a smile and asked him if he could hold onto her when she climbed down. He nodded of course, his fear vanished with the comfort an adult offers to all children. Soon he was set on the ground and the woman carefully crouched down in front of him._

_"Do you think you can mak-" A crash of thunder interrupted her and made Soul jump nervously. She smiled at him and said._

_"Well you're coming to my house before it starts to rain. You can call your folks there, all right? Come along young missy, we're going home." With that she stood and herded the two children in front of her._

_The woman's house wasn't far or quite nearly as large as Souls was. It was pretty enough on the outside, but the inside made Soul gape. It was beautiful and the rooms were all tied marvelously together. Strange things hung from the walls and ceilings, but he found it all interesting. The girl just slipped off her shoes and padded after her mother into the kitchen. Copying her, he bent to untie his shoes and carefully set them next to hers. Then he quietly followed her, staring about in awe. The woman was already busy making hot cocoa for the two kids so the girl grabbed Soul's hand and gave him the grand tour._

_She was much more relaxed now than she had been at the playground and he found himself losing the inferior feeling this house gave him. The girl showed him her mother's room and hers, the room where they ate and then a simple room with 2 couches and a variety of paintings strewn about the walls. She told him proudly that her mother had painted them and then her green eyes lit up with an idea. Dragging him back to the kitchen, she asked her mother if she could show him her studio. The woman agreed with a smile and Soul stared back at her as he was dragged off to yet another part of the house._

_It was what he presumed to be the attic and it was a true artists studio. In other word it was chaotic and there were canvases, paints, sheets, easels, and other various drawing implements strewn everywhere. The girl plumped down on a stool that was painted random colors and watched as Soul walked around the room. He was impressed with the paintings, even though they were only partly finished. Clearly her mother was a very talented painter, and he being the child he was, turned to her and asked,_

_"I like this painting! Can I have it?" He pointed to a painting of a spring morning with a blue jay and a cardinal singing to one another._

_"I dunno. I'll ask mommy!" She jumped off the stool and ran out, leaving Soul to stare at the painting that had caught his interest. It was quite pretty and he thought maybe he could see words if he looked close enough. But he got distracted as thunder crashed and the room flashed with blinding light._

_Sometime later Soul was walking home from the girl with pigtail's house. He didn't remember much after that big flash of lightning, but he had his painting tucked under his arm and every once and awhile he would glance at it. It already had a place on his room's wall in his head and he planned to show it off to his parents that night. They would coo over it and ask why he was so late returning. His mother would-_

Soul jerked out of the memory abruptly, not wishing to continue down that line of thought. He had arrived at his house anyway, so he concentrated on whether he had brought that painting with him when he moved here. Thinking it might be in his room somewhere, he dropped his bag off by the kitchen and walked in only to recoil in shock. There was a red message scrawled on the walls, the kind you see in horror movies when a murderer is coming for you. It said

"Soul…I have your girl. What are you willing to do to get her back, in one piece?"

He sank to the floor, heart pumping frantically and read the words again and again as if that might somehow change them. No luck there, so Soul started to make his mind work, processing the fact someone had Maka captive. Then a thought occurred to him and he lunged across the room to smell the red liquid. It was paint, not blood and Soul sighed in relief. There was no way for him to contact this mysterious person; no phone number or anything. And that was when he heard the jingle of a cell phone. It was S.E.X. by Nickelback. (Yes, Soul would recognize that. Sorry I had to throw in some humor here because I'm insane. And if you don't know that song, go listen to it!) He found it lying on his bed and tensed with apprehension as he answered it.

"Yes? Who are you?" His voice sounded pathetic. So not cool but he was too scared to really think right then.

"That's not important. Have you thought of an answer for my question?" The voice was deep and masculine, clearly the person was using a transmorgifithingy to change his voice. Or her voice, Soul didn't really know.

"I would do anything. Anything for Maka!" _That was a dumb thing to say,_ Soul thought.

"Good. Meet me at room 173 tomorrow at seven. At Shibusen high. Tell no one or she will pay for it." –click-

Soul let the phone drop and stared into space. Maka had been kidnapped from a closet. Tears began to leak out of his eyes as he thought of her at the bastard's mercy. It was unforgivable, so he got up and walked to his closet and began rummaging through it. Sure enough, the painting was there and he set it on his dresser before running outside to a field nearby. Soul knew some karate (Lucky Soul. I wish I had learned it.) and he figured if he was going to meet Maka's jailer he should be prepared.

When Soul returned to his apartment later, he saw the paint had been cleaned off his wall. This disturbed him, so he went straight to sleep clutching a baseball bat for safety. If the guy could break into his home, he didn't want to be caught without a weapon. The night passed swiftly and when morning came he groggily got out of bed, showered and dressed. He left his hair to dry naturally and left for school; it was 6:30 but he figured the sooner he got there the better.

He had brought his baseball bat and sat quietly in the room until the clock said 7:00. No one appeared, though he waited until the end of second period to leave. Then his eyes caught sight of a fire alarm and with a snarl of frustration born of helplessness, he smashed it without thinking. Instantly water poured down from above and a loud alarm sounded. In this way Soul walked out of the school and back to his home where he had left the cell phone.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid…I hate life._

* * *

Heehee. So that's chapter three! Already. Wow. Anyways that was Soul thinking at the end and notice how I didn't change viewpoints at all! Aren't you proud of me? And please don't yell at me to hurry up and write the next chapter; it's being written whether you want it or not! Review please~! Oh and I figured out how to respond to reviews now too! Happy day, happy day ain't it?_  
_


	4. Friendship's burdens

Well I've been banned from my sister's computer and we have no typing programs on this computer and it has no memory for any so...I was stumped. Of course you're probably wondering, _but Nori, if you can't type, how'd you get this chapter up? _It was a real stroke of geniousness you see! I thought about it and ran around on fanfiction because I can still access the internet and then I found the document manager thingy and I realized I could edit my three chapters into the next chapters! HOORAY! Now the torture of a cliffhanger can end and we can get on with our lives.

**Disclaimer:** I never have and never will own Soul Eater or any of the characters therein because I'm unsymmetrical trash. T-T

Kid woke up to a loud alarm and water raining down. He spluttered a bit as he stood up and stretched all his kinks and sore muscles out of his body before calmly joining the hordes evacuating the school. Memories of yesterday were blurry but Kid can take anything in stride. He straightens his hair and suit before leaving the mass of apprehensive students and strolling towards Soul's address. Blackstar and him looked it up as soon as they realized he was interested in Maka...in case things came to their worst and action had to be taken. It all turned out towards the best though, and Kid grinned maliciously at the thought of Soul's face when he opened the door to see Kid.

It was a pleasant enough walk in the sun and Kid was dry by the time he arrived at Soul's apartment. He smirked inwardly as he knocked on Soul's door and waited for him to answer. Faintly he could hear swearing, crashing and then the door opened. Soul was a wreck. His hair was disheveled and his clothes hung askew; telling of a struggle and the room behind Soul reflected that. Furniture was overturned and placed asymmetrically. It made Kid feel slightly nauseous so he blurted out his question and hoped for a quick answer.

"Does Maka have a place to live? And did you offer her one?" Kid shut his eyes, not wanting to look at the red ones.

"No and yes. Kid she's been kidnapped." At those words Kid's eyes opened and he stared at Soul in shock. Maka...had been kidnapped?

"What are you talking about Soul? Maka wouldn't get kidnapped. She's too tough! I think you must be on dr-" Soul just sighed and pulled Kid inside, ignoring his blabbering. There was one chair left standing so Kid sat in it, his mouth still flapping and watched as Soul drearily made some tea. It was too much to take in. Ash had been telling the truth, Maka had been kidnapped, Soul knew she didn't have a home, Maka got kidnapped...and Maka was kidnapped?!

"Kid, shut up and listen. I went into my room yesterday and found a message on the wall saying if I wanted Maka back I had to be willing to do anything. Then someone called a phone that was on my bed and they said to meet in room 173 at 7'o'clock today. No one came and by the time I got back here the phone was gone." Soul sighed yet again and handed Kid a mug of tea that he noticed had a chip on one side and not the other. Though by now Kid was too confused to care.

"So...There's no way to contact whoever has Maka?" Soul shook his head and Kid thought harder. "Did he say 7'o'clock a.m. or 7'o'clock p.m.?"

"He just said 7'o'clock!" Red eyes met gold ones in wonderment. "Kid we still have a chance! We need back up though. I'll call Blackstar!"

Soul raced to his room to find the tiny slip of paper that had Blackstar's phone number on it. A couple years ago he had handed out slips to everyone to make himself "famous." Kid remembered how Maka had thrown hers away and when Blackstar heard that from Kid, he would not stop bothering Maka. It was the beginning of their friendship and he smiled fondly at that memory. Really, Maka had been one of Kid's only friends. Everyone else found him strange or snotty and she had helped see just who he was inside. Kid snapped out of his reminiscing as Soul walked back in, arguing animatedly on the phone. (Oh! Look! I''m punny! Heehee...)

"Blackstar we don't know who kidnapped Maka! You can't beat them up until 7! NO! You can't kill them until we get some answers...What are you doing? That won't make time go faster! Gah! See you at 7 then." Soul hung up and looked at Kid

"How can you stand that guy? So annoying...Anyway he's going to tell Tsubaki and they'll meet us there. This guy's going down." They smirked at each other and then Kid left to finish up school. Maka would be mad to hear he skipped even a few hours.

* * * * *

Whoa! Major time skip because all Soul's doing is cleaning up and Nori's getting tired. Also switching viewpoints to Soul.

He arrived at precisely 6:50, dressed in sweat pants and a t-shirt for maneuverability. It was time to kick some serious butt. Soul smirked and strolled inside the building, reminding himself of those old movies where cowboys enter dramatically after pausing outside. Kid was already in room 173 and after 3 minutes, Blackstar came in with Tsubaki. The atmosphere was tense and electric, even Blackstar was quiet for once. Truthfully, Soul was a bit excited. He missed Maka terribly and this was one step closer to finding her. Minutes ticked by and as Soul watched the 59 turn to 00 on his watch a phone rang behind him. Kid was closer so he grabbed it up and turned it to speaker phone. They all heard the sinister voice that Soul recognized from earlier.

"I thought I told you to tell no one Soul. And yet here you are with a gaggle of friends." Kid motioned for them to look around the room because whoever it was could see them.

"Oh I hope you're not looking for me. Perhaps I'd best reveal myself. Behold your demise puny children!" Soul, Kid, Blackstar and Tsubaki looked around until their eyes lit on a figure in the shadows. It was...Ash. Soul stared in astonishment. Ash. It couldn't be. Why would he do this?

"I see you look confused Soul. Yes I am your friend, Ash. I am also the captor of Maka." He smirked. "Now you will learn how to loose that snobbish attitude you have." Ash kept smiling at the faces below. Kid was glaring, Tsubaki looked disapproving, Soul was still in shock and Blackstar...was suddenly punching Ash's lights out. Soul blinked in surprise as the once best friend collapsed and Blackstar began laughing obnoxiously.

"Look upon your God, fools, and see how far I've surpassed him! I am the great Blackstar! The man who is above the gods! Look and tremble with cowardly fear!" Tsubaki smiled at his childlessness and hurried to check that Ash wasn't dead. Kid sat down and muttered to himself about how obvious it was and Soul watched all this dispassionately. It was too unreal. Ash would never do that to Soul, would he? They had been friends for years. How could it turn out like this? It was too much. Soul sank to the ground, clutching his head and trying to shake off the thought of Ash betraying him. Someone was pulling at his arms, trying to get him to stand up and then Blackstar's voice sang through the air.

"Hah! How uncool Soul. Lying on the ground like you have no spine. But don't fear! I have enough spine for us both and I guess I'll get all the credit for saving Maka. She'll rush into the arms of this man who has surpassed God and-" Blakcstar was cut off as Soul jerked upright and hit his head on the bottom of his chin. Maka was still missing. Soul ran over and grabbed Ash, dragging him out of the room and down the halls to a drinking fountain. Tsubaki stayed behind to help Blackstar so Kid was the only one who followed Soul. Just before he began to soak Ash's head, Soul saw that Kid had a roll of ducktape in his hand. He grinned in understanding and bound Ash hand and foot before waking him with cold water.

"What are you guys doing? I could've drowned!" Ash seemed oblivious to their frowns. He struggled a bit before realizing he was bound and then he met Soul's eyes. "C'mon pal, release me! YOu can't do this to me. I'm your friend!"

Soul snorted and let Kid do the interrogating. It was hard to stand those gray eyes boring into him, so Soul stared at the wall.

"Where's Maka?"

"Fuck you."

"Where's Maka, damnit! Tell me or I'll kick your ass!"

"..." Kid slapped Ash and Soul flinched at the harsh sound. Like it or not, Ash was still his friend and it was that stupid thought that led Soul to intercede.

"Kid, leave me alone with him for 5 minutes and he'll tell me." Kid looked skeptical but Soul wasn't about to let his friend abuse his other friend. Then he paused in thought. Since when was Kid his friend? It didn't matter though, so he tucked it away and gave Kid a gentle push back towards 173. He left, golden eyes turning back once to let the crimson ones know they were starting the five minutes immediately.

"Ash...we've been pals for years. Why would you do this? And to a girl with tiny tits! I'm insulted you seem to think I ever really liked her. I just have a reputation to keep in this school." Ash chuckled a bit at Soul's trick and then spat in his face.

"It's that damn reputation's fault I had to do this. Betcha didn't know I had the hots for Kim, did ya? And then...then...YOU! You fucked her and then ditched her! How could you! She left town because of you! I guess I just wanted you to know what it feels like to be unable to get your girl." Soul stared in surprise. He had expected anything but this. Ash had liked Kim?

"Why didn't you say something to me? I would've let you have her." All Soul got was a glare.

"You know where Maka is, don't you? Would you please tell me. I'm going crazy without her!" Another glare.

"Ash...I still have Kim's phone number. I can give it to you if you tell me where Maka is." A bit risky because Soul didn't really have it, but he saw a spark of hope in Ash's eyes that faded fats.

"What happens to me after you find out where she's hidden? Will you let me go? Without...further harm?" He smiled deviously at Soul, the hope rekindled.

"Yes I swear on Maka's grave-" Ash began to cackle insanely as Kid ran up. The five minutes were over and Soul could see Tsubaki carrying a limp Blackstar over. Then Ash was talking again and Soul heard nothing but those words.

"GOOD! BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE SHE IS! ON HER GRAVE!" There was a poof of smoke and then Ash was gone. No one said a word, but all were wondering. He couldn't be a witch, witches were girls. So then how...? Soul cleared his throat and tried to distract the rest.

"Any ideas on where Maka's grave is?"

* * *

Anyway that's chapter 4. Sorry it's a bit short, my shoulder hurts like crap. I apologize for not being too great at writing and for not editing this chapter. I'm so lazy~... Well read and review as always!


	5. The plot thickens

Chapter 5 is here after a couple months...I'm really sorry about that and I probably wouldn't even be posting this if I hadn't got an email yesterday, or rather checked it yesterday and saw that I had a review for this story. SO EVERYONE CAN THANK . Yeah. Go ahead and read now.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Soul Eater because I'm not cool enough.

Soul was devastated and very much confused. Maka was on her grave? He had no idea what that meant and looking at the faces around him he could see he wasn't the only one who was baffled. How could she be on her grave if she was alive? Or, if she was dead, wouldn't she be in her grave and not on it? Too many theories started running through his head and he got a strong urge to hit his head against the wall. That would be so uncool so he broke the silence to distract himself.

"What are we supposed to do now? Maka's on her grave or whatever but she's not dead so where could her grave be?" Soul's red eyes scanned the others around them for the slightest inkling of an ideal but apparently he was the only one thinking of Maka. Both Tsubaki and Kid were staring at the place where Ash had vanished and Black star was stilll slumped on Tsubaki's shoulder.

"Hello? Why the hell are you thinking about Ash? Maka's on her grave and for all we know she could have a limited supply of oxygen. We have to find her." Still no response from his vacant eyed companions so Soul slammed his fist against the wall and walked away muttering evil things.

Before Soul got to the exit of the school he had his nerves tried in a very scary way. Ash was leaning against the side of a hallway, even though he had supposingly just exploded. Red eyes met gray ones angrily and Soul ran up to his ex best friend and tried to punch him in the face. Ash just ducked out of the way and smirked tauntingly. No words were spoken but Soul suddenly had a feeling that if he fought Ash he would lose. So he sank to the floor and put his back against the wall while looking at him expectantly.

"You know Soul, you really are a complete idiot. Why did you even bother to think about where Maka was? Obviously I was lying. She doesn't have a grave to be on. At least not yet." Soul stared at Ash in horror, willing himself not to think about the meaning of those words and focused on the first part instead.

"If she's not on her grave then where is she." His red eyes were lit with rage, making him appear to be a red eyed demon. He had never been this angry before, not at anyone.

"Oh I really can't tell you. Or maybe I can. Well obviously I can do anything so I guess I should say I'm not willing to tell you." The blond boy smirked in that irritating way of his and Soul barely restrained himself from trying to choke him. Ash was seriously asking to get his ass kicked.

"Why aren't you willing to tell me, bastard." His voice grated out in a threatening monotone, making his question a statement.

"I'm part of an organization, well a partnership and the bargain was I couldn't do anything without consulting her first. Witch's are awfully demanding." So that was one secret revealed. Ash had a witch helping him, or it could be the other way around. Nonetheless, that was how he had vanished; the witch had done it with her magic. But Soul pushed that aside and concentrated on trying to get Maka's whereabouts out of Ash's devious mouth.

"Why don't you consult her then? I'm sure she'd be happy to give her permission to tell me after I beat her up." Somehow, despite how empty that threat was, it made Soul feel a little better about himself.

Witches could be killed just like any other human, but their powers made it a hell of alot more difficult. Each power was specific to a witch and all witches were distinctly like an animal. Indeed, most of them could shift their form into that of their special animal, but many preferred to stay in their animalified human forms. It helps them blend in with society and makes it much easier to move around. But ash was speaking again so Soul cut off his recollection of what he knew of witches.

"I'm afraid I couldn't let you do that Soul. This witch holds the world in her palm and if I called her here to be beaten up, she would surely kill me. Besides it's fun to see you writhe in frustration." All Ash got was another glare while he tried desperately to think of some way to trick his evil used-to-be friend. Then he touched on a brilliant ideal and put it into action immediately by standing up and walking away. Sure enough, Ash followed him like a dog and began to blabber stupid questions because he was afraid to lose his power over Soul.

"Hey where are you going? I thought-didn't you want to find out where Maka is? I could call my witchy friend here and ask if I could tell you. Wait up Soul! Come on, you're not that mad are you? I was just joking! Answer me, damnit!" The last sentence was accompanied by a violent shoulder grab that Soul gratefully returned. It turned into a contest to see who could stand the pain of having their shoulder crushed the longest, but Soul knew he would win. He was willing to go through any pain that didn't kill him for Maka. Eventually Ash's face was indistinguishable because it was so twisted up in pain and he fell to his knees while forfeiting the undeclared match.

"Call your witch. Now." Soul's voice was hard and sounded pretty cool. Which made him feel better about being tricked by Ash's 'grave' lie. And sure enough, it was so threatening that Ash closed his eyes and began what he hoped was the summoning of a witch. Minutes passed and then Ash apoke.

"She's on her way and you'd better not try to hurt her Soul. I think you'll see why in about 30 seconds." Ash sighed and then laid down on the carpet, his face barely illuminated by the starlight that was shining through the glass doors. And as Soul peered outside, he saw a vague shape approaching. It looked like...but it couldn't be! A plaid skirt, sweet pale legs and a small but not completely flat chest covered by a tanktop. Pigtails swinging from both sides of the head. Flashing green eyes filled with amusement. It was Maka. Soul keeled over in his first ever faint and knew no more.

TIME WARPPP!

Soul woke up in an familiar room. His bedroom and he was lying on his bed with no memory as to how he got there. He had seen Maka but...the world had turned gray and then black as he went from a faint to sleep. So someone had brought him here and his first thought was that it was Maka. But she couldn't know where he lived unless she had memorized his address. Minutes passed while he amused himself with that thought before he became aware of clanging sounds coming from the other side of his door. An unknown person was in his apartment. Soul glared at the ceiling and quietly got out of his bed. He hated intruders.

After padding barefoot through the hallway Soul peeked in at the kitchen. What he saw delighted him and he was about to rush and pull her into his arms when he remembered how she detested his perverted behavior. So he casually walked in and tried to remain cool when he really just wanted to leap on her. She glanced at him and smiled before turning back to whatever she was cooking. The clock said it was 11'o'clock but he would eat her food anytime of the day. Maka was in his apartment, cooking dinner for him. But first Soul wanted to know how she had escaped the witch.

"Hey Maka. Who was the witch? Blaire?" Blaire had been a witch he met a long time ago and by jove her chest had to have been the hugest he had ever seen. But he was too young to appreciate that when he had met her, something he desperately regretted. But Maka was giving him a strange look so he knew it couldn't be her. In fact Maka's look was so bizarre that Soul could've sworn he didn't know what she was talking about. And her question confirmed that.

"What are you talking about Soul? I don't know any witches." Her brow puckered in confusion and she looked so cute that he had a hard time calming himself and bringing his mind back to the bewildering fact the she had no recollection of her imprisonment. Weird.

"You've been missing since yesterday after school. Ash locked you in a closet and then gave you to a witch or something and then-" His voice faltered under her continuing confusion and he felt himself catching it. How could she not remember?

"You do know Ash, right?" Just a question to see if she hadn't lost all of her memories. Her face cleared and assumed a dreamy expression the next moment. Soul felt a twinge of jealousy at it, but kept himself attentive to her response.

"Oh yeah, I know him. Isn't he nice and handsome? I was friends with him back in the day...Good times. Oh, the spaghetti's ready!" She hurriedly turned off the stove and poured the contents of the pot into a caulender. It was indeed spaghetti and it looked so delicious that Soul forgot about his confusion for a second. But it returned and he realized that Maka's memories had been seriously tampered with. Somehow the witch must have made her infatuated with Ash and erased all the memories of his early evil treatment of her. Wicked stuff and he had no ideal as to reverse it and get her back to normal. He'd have to find Ash and get the truth out of him.

"Oh yeah, Soul? Can I share your bed tonight? I didn't bring any blankets and it gets so cold in autumn." Dutifully he nodded along before what she had said really hit him. This could not be Maka. The girl who despised him yesterday? What the hell? But...he felt deeply aroused by her innocent question and was hard pressed to decide what to do. He didn't want to share his bed with her because he didn't know if his control was that complete and she wasn't Maka. Even though she looked like her, it couldn't be her. Damn, he desperately wanted to take her virginity. Or at least he assumed she was a virgin...the spaghetti was being served however so he pushed those thoughts aside and dug in. It was absolutely delicious, with meatballs and sauce and spices and herbs. He thought he was in heaven until he was reminded again of her question. What should he do?

Ahah...poor Soul. He's really losing his cool, and what has happened to Maka? Oh and I apologize for two things. First, for putting witches in here, even though it was just supposed to be a normal school fic. And then for abandoning it for so long. x.x Anywayz, please review as always because I'm assuming if you're reading this you've already read it.


	6. A mystery solved but not fixed

It has come to my attention that I have been neglecting responding to reviews. ;.; And unfortunately I cannot remember which one was the last one I responded to. SO! Starting from the reviews of the last chapter, I WILL RESPOND! AHAHAH! YEAH BEWARE!

**Disclaimer:** If wishes were fishes no one would starve...except people who hate fish. I don't own Soul Eater!

Soul felt torn between need and responsibility. If he slept with this Maka who wasn't Maka and the real Maka found out then he would be dead before he could explain. But it was so damn tempting. He continued contemplating things while the fake Maka cleaned up the spaghetti dishes. Then he struck on an ideal. He could have the fake Maka sleep next to the radiator while he slept on his bed. With this in mind he ran out of the kitchen area and began dragging the extra mattress from what would've been Maka's room to the radiator. By that time she was done cleaning up and came to watch him questionably.

"What are you doing Soul?" Her innocent green eyes and cocked head were really cute, but somehow he managed to pull his attention back to the job at hand.

"I'm making you a bed by the radiator and you can sleep there. I'll turn the heat on a bit so you won't be cold." He left the room then, to bring sheets and when he came back she was gone. But he felt he had a pretty good idea where she went and the sound of running water confirmed his suspicions. With one last tug, the bed was all set and he retreated back to his room, changed and collapsed into his bed.

Sleep nearly had him in it's clutches when Maka burst into the room in all her naked glory with water running down her creamy skin. Soul's eyes bugged out and he immediately felt blood rush to 'that' area.

"Soul where are your towels?" Defiance radiating from her posture and face, daring him to question why she hadn't searched the bathroom before running out. Because Soul KNEW there were towels above the toilet in a small cupboard. So this was obviously another try at seducing him, albeit a much more direct way. However, just as with the first try, he managed to logic himself out of his arousal by repeating the mantra 'it's not Maka' over and over in his head. His eyes had fallen to the floor to avoid inciting further desire and he shooed her away.

"They're in the cupboard over the toilet. I trust you can open it." Sarcasm dripped on his last words and she huffed before racing back to the bathroom. In the darkness Soul let out a sigh of relief; if he had caught another glance of her body he would have caved. It was all so confusing though. Unless she had an unknown personality disorder, it couldn't be anyone but her. She wouldn't normally act this way though, so he was left inventing crazy theories as he waited for sleep to claim him again.

Bright sunlight craftily pierced the small crack between Soul's eyelids, causing him to bolt upright and dislodge the lump that was gripping him under the blanket. It was Maka, or at least her body. He had no idea how to refer to her anymore, it could be Maka and yet it couldn't. Ugh. At least it was a Saturday so he wouldn't have to face Kid's persecution. Or maybe he should; Soul hated to admit it but Kid was a lot smarter than him and would be able to figure out what was wrong with her. As he deliberated, Maka sighed and snuggled closer to him. About an hour of unsuccessful wriggling passed and Soul was still trapped by her embrace.

5 more minutes passed until she woke up, sitting up and stretching. Soul immediately scrambled out from under her and ran to the bathroom. After making sure the door was locked, he removed his clothes and stepped into the shower, cursing at the cold water. Even over the noise of splashing water he could hear her yelling at him through the door, wanting to be let in. He ignored her though and finished washing himself. With a towel around his waist he peeked out the door to make sure it was all clear. The smell of bacon cooking assured him that it was safe to go back to his room and grab some clothes. He carefully crept out and tried to still his breathing. Maka was scaring him with all her seduction tactics which would eventually wear down his resolve. Soul made it back to his room safely and rummaged about in his closet for clothes. A black band shirt emerged and was donned followed by a pair of red-tinted jeans. As a last touch he slid a headband in his still wet hair.

Breakfast was eaten without speaking, the only sound being the crunch of chewing bacon and the swish of swallowing milk. He cleaned up while Maka went to dress and when she came back she was back to her peppy attitude. Sleep had apparently turned it off. She chattered on and on as he locked the door and dragged her outside. Kid had given Soul his address the other day in the hopes that a new idea would occur to him. A sigh escaped Soul as he thought of all the explaining he would have to do. It was so not cool. Then one of Maka's questions caught his attention.

"Are we going to see Ash? I hope so because I haven't seen him in years and-" So she was still in love with Ash while trying to seduce him? That made even less sense than her loving Ash in the first place.

"Maka you do not want to see Ash. He broke your arm once! And beat you up multiple times!" She smiled at him and skipped on ahead. Soul growled in frustration until he saw where Kid's address was. A freaking mansion. A freaking HUGE, gothic mansion. What the hell?

He caught up with Maka on Kid's doorstep and pounded the old-fashioned door knocker as hard as he could. Voices could be heard inside and then both giant doors opened simultaneously. Just to keep the symmetry. A butler showed them in and put their shoes away in a closet before ushering them up a staircase, down a long corridor and into a sitting room. Compared to Soul's tiny apartment this place was like a monster house. He shuddered to think of getting lost in such a sprawling place. And there were gargoyles, columns, creepy paintings and an overall symmetry that just added to the air of mystery and forboding. At least the sitting room had color. The rest of the mansion was built out of black granite stones with no wall hangings or anything to break the monotony. Even the paintings were drab and blended in with the walls.

"...Maka?" Kid's eyes bugged out just as Soul's had last night. Then he made the assumption that Soul knew he would and began to advance on the white-haired Kid menacingly.

"You! You fucking bastard, you had her all this time! And then you hired Ash to put on that elaborate show and...and...!" His golden eyes bored into Soul's red ones while their noises practically touched. Maka had flounced down on a sofa and was looking around with interest. So it was left to Soul to save himself.

"Why would I Kid? What reason would I have? And then why would I bring her here? You aren't thinking straight." As his reasoning slid into Kid's mind, Soul slipped away and sat across from Maka on another sofa. It took Kid a little bit of time to calm down but eventually he did. And then Soul knew he wasn't in danger of being thrown into a torture chamber which most definitely existed in such a scary house.

"Okay then how did she end up with you?" He joined them in an armchair that was adjacent to both couches. Again with the OCD.

"Well after I had left, Ash reappeared just before I got out of the building. We...talked and it ended up with him calling the witch there. When she arrived...or at least I think it was her. But it was Maka. Then I fainted and woke up at my apartment, with her cooking spaghetti in the kitchen. I was too tired to bring her over here so I decided to do it in the morning. And here we are. Now tell me, what the hell happened to her?" Both of their eyes turned to the girl who was shamelessly showing her panties while laying down on the sofa. When she caught them looking she smiled and waved a bit.

"I don't see that anything's wrong. She just seems...happy." He looked puzzled but not the least bit bothered by the change in Maka's demeanor. Soul just had to prove how changed she was.

"Hey Maka do you want to go see Ash?" At his question she bolted upright and gave them her brightest grin.

"Would I ever! Do you think he'll like my outfit? Oh I wonder how he's doing! Where does he live? Is it far? Will my hair get messed up if we walk there?" During her stream of pointless inquiries, Kid's eyes met Soul's and it was then he knew that he knew that something was wrong with her. Seriously wrong.

"Maka what the hell's the matter with you? Ash has been your enemy since before I met you. Why the hell do you like him?" She stared at him in blatant astonishment and then went off on another one of her rants about how charming and good looking he was. Stealthily Soul and Kid snuck out and had a whispered conference in the hall.

"So Ash said the witch was coming and then Maka appeared?" Soul nodded in response to his question and then asked one of his own.

"Do you think the witch could've like...brainwashed her or something?" Both of them pondered that for a second but then Kid shook his head.

"No if she was brainwashed Ash would have said Maka was coming. But he said the witch was coming so..." Their faces lit up with enlightenment as they thought of what that meant. Soul spoke first.

"So that must mean the witch possessed Maka or something! But how do you get rid of a witch?" This was the reason he had come to Kid. It was time to see those brains in action.

"Hold on, we have plenty of books in our library and I'm sure at least one will explain about witches. Let's get Maka and go, it's rather far away from here." And so they went, trailing a curious Maka behind them. Indeed it was a long ways form the library even though it was in the same building. When they arrived Soul was staggered by the sheer size of it. Shelves went up to the shadowy ceiling and extended in rows, filling the huge hall. Another servant sat behind a desk at the far end and it was to him that Kid strode purposely.

"Where're the books on witches?" The servant clicked lazily on the computer and typed something in. Then he turned the monitor around so it was facing them and showed the 943 results of books involving witches. Kid scanned the first couple, looking at the location and then walked quickly off to a corner of the library. Soul followed him and grabbed Maka by the wrist so she wouldn't get lost.

A whole shelf in the corner was filled with spines that reflected the same word. Witches. Kid scanned the titles and then left to go find a ladder so he could reach the books at the top. When he came back he immediately began climbing while pausing to look at titles every now and then. Eventually he gave an exclamation of surprise and descended with an old volume in his hand. It's title was Witches; everything you could ever need to know about witches. Soul leaned in to get a look as Kid opened it to the table of contents. Sure enough there was a chapter on possession. It went as follows;

_Some witches possess the ability to jump into another's mind; be it human or animal. The witch can take absolute control over the mind it inhabits but it's personality will be warped in the process. For example if a witch took over a girl's mind, it would undoubtedly don some of the girl's preferences. How such possession is done is unknown due to the discreet nature of witches, but there have been some instances where priests have tried to exorcise them out of a person's body. Results have been varied; ranging from death to success. If you suspect someone has been possessed the best thing to do is to wait for the witch to grow bored and leave of it's own accord. If it's absolutely vital to be rid of it, read up on Morton's The Trouble with Witches. He provides a detailed explanation about attempting an exorcism of your own._

_There are many theories as to how this ritual is done. One expert, Jabus, claimed that it was an intricate spell that required pentacles to retain the person's mind in their body while the witch slips in. Now many argue against-_

Kid shut the tome and looked at Soul. His face told all; that the huge library didn't own a copy of The Trouble with Witches. He sagged in defeat and they grabbed Maka by the wrist and set off for the public library. It was smaller than Kid's but perhaps it had a different selection that included the illusive Morton's book._  
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So there 'tis. All set up for the next chapter. Will they find the book? If you review you will know!...Okay that was a lie. You don't have to review to find out...but it'd be nice. :D_  
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